It’s just been revealed that Nokia, the giant in the hands of Microsoft, has purchased a Norwegian software company that designs super-efficient feature phone operating systems. The byline is such: Smarterphone creates an operating system that “makes it possible to deliver a user experience similar to smart phones on affordable hardware, and allows unique flexibility for tailoring handset software to different markets.”
Clearly Nokia is looking to diversify its worldwide hardware portfolio, and as more markets demand smartphone features at feature phone prices, this seems like a good move. Symbian S40 will never be optimized for touch, despite how effusively Nokia tries to convince us otherwise, so regardless of whether the Smarterphone purchase was for software, or merely a talent acquisition, it seems to be a good investment.
We will probably never see the fruits of the purchase in North America, which completed in November 2011, as Nokia focuses on launching its Windows Phone portfolio with Microsoft. Nevertheless, the purchase proves that they are keenly focusing on rebuilding the company, and will take any advantage they can get.
